According to the current state of the art, the most popular devices designed especially for being coupled to the handlebar of a bicycle have been performance computers, which provide and show information relating, for example, to the speed at which the bicycle is traveling, the distance traveled, etc. Devices have also been developed in recent years which further combine the possibility of measuring heart rate by means of sensors arranged on the handlebar of the bicycle.
An infinite number of fixing supports and supports for devices of different natures have been designed, such as those used mainly for carrying mobile telephones, for example.
Some of these fixing and support devices further include a cable and connector supplying the power generated and transformed by the dynamo to the device it carries.
In some cases, sophisticated supports have been designed which, whether distributed along the bicycle or not, support and bear speakers and music playing apparatuses. In other cases, audio systems always formed by more than one element have been invented in addition to the support itself.
Precisely regarding obtaining an audio form more suited to the means in which it is intended to be used, such as the bicycle in this case, systems combining elements located in a helmet, for example, and in the handlebar have been provided which, by means of using earphones and cables, though also using wireless devices such as radio-frequency or Bluetooth, transmit music from the player usually located on the handlebar to the earphones.
Specific devices for signaling and lighting are also known which are arranged in different parts of the bicycle such as the handlebar, wheels, etc. . . . , and the lighting can usually come from incandescent lamps or LED lamps. These devices in turn are fed by a battery or use an instant generation and feed system, such as for example a dynamo. The proliferation of this type of signaling devices notifying the user's position, mostly when it is dark, has been essential in increasing safety for cyclists.
As can be seen, there are a number of different devices which can be acquired for communicating, signaling position, notifying arrival, and fixing devices or systems which would allow hearing a song or the radio.
In most of the examples set forth above, the common feature to be stressed is that they have not taken into account in their respective embodiments safety of the cyclist, or the space and weight the bicycles can support for normal operation. In other cases, the manner in which certain fixing apparatuses and systems are coupled to the bicycle is not specified or is rather unrealistic, and they do not take into account, for example, the fact that said fixing apparatuses systems must be portable or have an anti-theft system.
Patent document US2003/0036360 can specifically be mentioned, which describes a built-in portable entertainment, information and communication system wirelessly associated to a helmet. The drawback of this patent is the fact that the helmet with earphones is not at all suitable for riding a bicycle, given that it is dangerous, so much so that in many countries it is prohibited, therefore the way of hearing the communication is not suitable.
Patent document US2005/0197063 describes a pedometer or apparatus for measuring an athlete's performance, and this apparatus can incorporate many functions, such as MP3 and the like. It is apparently a device for jogging. In any case it is not especially designed for a bicycle, given that it uses earphones and does not indicate how it is fixed to the bicycle. It does not provide any feasible solution to hear music, for lights, to be able to talk, etc., from the bicycle without using hands.
For its part, patent document WO03094409 describes a portable audio apparatus containing divided transmission and sound signals. This patent does not resolve the problem of integration given that it only refers to music. The arrangement of the elements it incorporates further involves the use of cables and makes it a non-portable system.
Patent document EP 1 564 122 describes a bicycle lighting apparatus with a mountable display. It therefore consists of a light apparatus which furthermore provides power to a processor, integrating no other functions such as audio, communication, a horn or photographic camera.
It can be deduced from the foregoing that the common denominator in the prior state of the art is that in order for the cyclist to have an optimal performance level in the previously mentioned components, it requires a great amount of space on the handlebar for implementing or fixing such components, making it necessary to double the size thereof, and the correcting handling of the handlebar would furthermore be impossible either due to the total weight of all these elements or because they would be arranged in a rather impractical manner for use. It is necessary to add to this common denominator, directly and with the same or greater importance, the risk involved for the cyclist's safety in using a series of devices located in different locations on the handlebar of the bicycle to obtain the functionalities that each of them may provide.